With the constant increase of more and more U.S. states legalizing marijuana, a product known as CBD oil has surged in popularity among consumers, and largely due to word of mouth. With this increase, many people are realizing that CBD is not associated with marijuana, and its popularity is growing.
CBD, or Cannabidiol, is one of many naturally occurring Cannabinoids in the Cannabis sativa plant, of which there are two very different, but very similar plants, hemp and marijuana.
Introduction:
Both Cannabis plants contain over 90 chemicals, known as cannabinoids, which have been identified in the Cannabis sativa plant, and are slowly being studied for their effects.
Marijuana was the most well known of the two, and contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is what gives users the high associated with this chemical. Marijuana contains small amounts of CBD.
Hemp, although it looks and smells just like Marijuana, has a lot of CBD, and very small amounts of THC, legally less than 0.3% THC so it can be used without giving the high that Marijuana gives. Hemp has also been used historically for its fiber, which makes a very strong and high quality cloth, used in clothing, rope, sails and many other products. It is seeing more and more uses in industry and chemistry as well.
In addition to CBD, several other Cannabinoids have been making news: CBG and CBN have their own properties which are being studied across the world.
CBD itself makes up the largest percentage of Cannabinoids, although plants are being bred to increase other compounds as well.
The Discovery of CBD's properties:
Although the Cannabis plant has been used for thousands of years, CBD was first discovered in the 1940's, but it wasn't until the 1960's that CBD was shown to have no connection to the high that THC gives.
In the 1980's, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam tested CBD on patients. But due to the stigmas towards cannabis because of the prohibition, his work was basically ignored. But in the 1990's, the ground breaking discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) started to change the way we viewed Cannabis, which led to the beginnings of it becoming legal in California.
Legalization had opened the door to start allowing researchers to to begin studying its effects.
CBD Breakthroughs:
A young girl changes CBD forever.
But it wasn't until 2010 when a young girl, Charlotte Figi, born with Dravet Syndrome, a severe and rare form of epilepsy, drove the CBD movement to the public limelight. The Company Charlotte's Web was started from their work with Charlotte though CBD.
Although there has not yet been any randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies done (considered the gold standard), people try CBD with out any of the toxicity or dangerous and deadly side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.
Research is continuing in these areas, and is showing much promise!
CBD: Most Common Uses
CBD has grown to be so widespread, people are looking for a safer way to use cannabinoids. CBD has been show to work with the endocannabinoid system.
Despite its growing popularity, CBD oil remains sorely under-researched, but since it no longer is illegal, more and more studies are opening up all about CBD, and many preliminary studies show it may be worth continuing to see what CBD is.
The American Society for Clinical Investigation has done studies with CBD and its only a matter of time before CBD will show what it can do over pharmaceuticals, without all of their side effects.
Conclusions:
In our store over the past year and a half, we have seen hundreds of people come back again and again when other things they use had failed to work and being free of side effects or toxicity.
The CBD industry currently needs regulation and research with drug based interactions, however, with all the stories from people using CBD reaching mainstream news, as well as all the increasing numbers of clinical trials underway, CBD and Cannabinoids are sure to become much more widely accepted by doctors and healthcare in general.
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